Honour to be part of the International Family

06 June 2010

The captain of Mythos, Nikolaos Stavrianopoulos, got married just one week before he set off to take part in the Historical Seas Tall Ships Regatta, leaving his wife Giota behind. After three weeks of sailing, however, Giota got her chance to see her new husband again when she joined him for the last race from Istanbul to Lavrion.

For Nikolaos, taking part in a Tall Ships Regatta was something he'd been thinking about for many years. He says he first saw a Tall Ships event in Germany in 1992 and was then going to sail on a Tall Ship in the Columbus Regatta but because of a slipped disk he was unable to walk let alone sail. "For one reason or another there was no other opportunity to take part in a Tall Ships event, so when I heard about the Historical Seas Tall Ships Regatta I knew that I had to take part with my own boat," said Nikolaos.

Having taken part in many local regattas, Nikolaos is no stranger to competition but he says having the opportunity to compete against international crews and on longer races was an honour. "Meeting with so many different people, to take part in all the organised events on land, to make new friends and have a chance to talk with captains and crew from different countries has been a real privilege. I now really feel part of this family."

Nikolaos is from Halkida, which is just 60 miles north of Lavrion, so many of his friends have come down to see him. He says he won't be sad to leave his new family as he is optimistic that he will see many again. "Quite a few of us, particularly from the Class C and D vessels, have said that we will stay in touch, perhaps we will set up a facebook page," said Nikolaos. In addition, Nikolaos has been speaking to STA Hellas and is keen to bring another Tall Ships event back to Greece. "I have organised many regattas at my yacht club so why not a Tall Ships event," said Nikolaos.

Now retired, Nikolaos spends quite a bit of time sailing around his home on Mythos so is very pleased that they did well in the Historical Seas Tall Ships Regatta, winning race 1 and 3 and coming third in the second race. "For me the best thing was the honour of being asked to speak at the captains' dinner in Istanbul and to have a chance to say a few words about international friendship and mutual respect," said Nikolaos, "that is something very important to me and so to take part in this event has been the best experience."